His Breath of Fire

Chapter Seventeen

    “Okay,” Paul said, breaking the silence after Robert and my standoff.  “What should we do with Luke?”

    “I suggest we send scouts to his pack,” I pipe in, trying not to flinch at all the eyes on me.  “We need to know if he has any allies, or any other type of acquaintances that we need to know about.”

    “What kind of allies could he have other than other packs?” Lucas asks.

    “There are more species than you are aware. Much like dragons are said to be extinct, many other species hide themselves away for fear of becoming just that,” I answer. “You’d be surprised by who’s of different species when you see them.”

    “You know who is not human or a werewolf?” Easton asked.

    “Yes,” I say, looking into his piercing eyes. “I can see auras, which is how I knew I could trust you. But it also tells me who—or what—they are.”

    “Wow,” he mumbled, and I gave him a smile.

    “There’s a lot you don’t know about me still,” I respond, “and a lot that will shock you.  But know that I’m here to bring change, to create peace for the supernatural minorities, and allow everyone to live in harmony.”

    “Why should we allow that?” Robert asked, and I tensed at his words.  This mentality needed to change, and the only way to do that is with leaders who gain respect the right way, not through fear. It annoys me to no end that this pack has to wait three more years before Easton can take it over.

    “The mentality you have is doing more harm than good,” I answered, keeping my gaze hard to emphasize my point. “Traditions are good, they remind us of our heritage and were implemented to keep packs safe.  But have you thought of what would happen if you change the way your pack is run for the better?  The respect you’ll gain, and not to mention the peace?  Yes, this change will be hard and there will be many who oppose it, but all we want in life is to create a better world for our children and their’s after.  So tell me, Robert, is your mind that closed off to not even imagine a world where you don’t have to worry about rogue attacks, hunters, or extinction?”

    Robert stared at me, seeming to look at me—I mean really look at me—for the first time.  I don’t think it registered that all I want is a safe place to continue to live, not just for myself but for the future.  That I’m not just some hybrid coming for his pack, that I have a vision for the future and this world.  “I am not small minded, Bren.  You were right in saying that traditions were implemented with the intentions of keeping us safe.  However, I can accept that these traditions will not always work, and we need to be able to adapt to the times as we grow and learn.”

    I blinked at his words.  He wasn’t going to fight me on this?  He has been nothing but absolutely cold to me since learning of my abilities and the fact that I am his son’s mate.  Where is this side coming from?  Is it a trick?

    “I see you’re all curious as to what I mean by my words,” he comments, folding his hands on the table.  “You see, Bren, I knew that the future would be rough for you, and especially my son as you two are mates.” Easton and I glanced at each other in confusion before turning our attention to Robert again. “The times approaching will be difficult, and I needed to know that you, as an Alpha, would be able to take care of yourself, my son, and this pack before giving you my full support.”

    My mouth dropped at his words.  He admits that I’m an Alpha, and not just a Luna?  That type of thinking is very radical in the traditions in place now, and I didn’t even know how Easton would handle that news.  But to know that Robert was just testing me to see if I was ready for what’s to come?  It seems that I misjudged him.  “I want to apologize, Robert, for my earlier actions. It seems I have misjudged you, and I am sorry for reacting in that way.”

    “All is forgiven, Bren,” he said, smiling warmly at me. “You did not know the full extent of my behavior, and you responded in a way that solidifies my trust in your future of this pack.”

    “Wait, so that’s just it?” Easton asked, leaning in. “You have been absolutely horrible to my mate and to me, and we’re just supposed to believe it was all a test?”

    “Yes,” Robert answered, “I’m sorry if I’ve caused troubles for you both, I was just doing what I thought best for the pack.  This obviously is bigger than we imagined.  I will send out the scouts to find out any and all information we can about Luke’s pack and his allies.  Will four suffice?”

    I dip my head in agreement.  “Good, I’ll send them out at the end of the day.  Easton and I will set up a training regimen for the pack to prepare for this upcoming war.  Bren, Kaida, will you be willing to help train the members on how to fight against other supernatural beings?”

    I tensed, my gaze shooting towards my mother.  If we accept, we would need to tell the whole pack of our true natures, our existence.  We've kept it a secret for so long, it feels almost wrong to reveal it to such a large crowd.  However, if I want to implement change, I need to start with my future pack first so I can be an example.  “I will do it, however my mother shouldn’t shift again until the baby is born.”

    “In about four and a half months,” my mother interjected, causing Robert and Easton to look at her in shock.  “Dragon pregnancies are five months rather than a werewolf’s six.”

    Easton looked at me with wide eyes, and I smirked at his expression.  “We don't need to worry about that right now, Easton.”

    He shot me an embarrassed smile, before we turned back as Robert asked, “So I’ll assume you’ll be unable to fight if Luke attacks before then?”

    Peter growled at the thought of my mother fighting at all and I rolled my eyes at his protectiveness.  “She’ll be hidden, with an invisibility bubble surrounding her and a spell to hide her scent.  Only other dragons can see the bubbles due to their coloring, so as long as Luke doesn’t have any dragon allies her and the baby will be safe.”

    “Invisibility bubble?” Lucas asked, and the rest of the group—minus my mother—stared at me in confusion.

    “Again, there is much you don’t know about dragons, much less a hybrid mix such as myself.” I paused, taking a deep breath to center myself before continuing on.  To be openly talking about myself and my powers feels so strange, and it feels like I’m betraying my mother somehow. “Not only am I blessed with the ability to see auras, I can manipulate the air to create what I call invisibility bubbles to hide any presence that I so desire.  Much like when we showed you our true form.  My mother and I created a bubble to hide our true forms from outside eyes.  I can also hide my scent, and as you saw, control fire and water and cast more spells.  There hasn’t been much of a limit to what I can accomplish, and we have no frame of reference to go by seeing as I’m the first known hybrid.”

    Robert nodded, mind seeming to be lost as he processes everything I’ve said so far.  “While we wait to hear back from the scouts, I think we should start training as a pack to hone in on our strengths and weaknesses as a pack.  Bren and Kaida, will you be okay to help train the pack in different areas so we can be more prepared?”

    I nodded, but my mother said, "I cannot shift, however I can help with training against certain elemental attacks and how to handle some spells."

    Robert smiled at us in appreciation.  “Okay, we’ll start training this weekend.  Dismissed.”